SunBriteTV's Veranda series of weatherproof televisions offer 4K resolution and a sturdy, porch-ready design ideal for watching TV in the shade.

It's a good general rule to not leave your television outside. TVs are delicate devices that won't work if they get too hot, too cold, or too wet (or, really, wet at all). If you have dreams of a deck, patio, or porch where you can watch your favorite shows on a big screen, you'll need to look for some special equipment unless you want to shlep it indoors whenever you don't use it. That's where SunBriteTV comes in. The company makes TVs specifically for use outdoors, like the $1,499 43-inch SB-4374UHD we tested.

The Veranda series isn't meant for use in direct sunlight like the Pro Series SB-4217HD. But it's similarly waterproof, far more afforable, and features 4K resolution. It lacks any connected features and it's half as bright as the Pro Series, but it offers very solid picture quality protected by an extensively rugged, backyard-friendly design, earning our Editors' Choice.

Editors' Note: This review is based on testing performed on the SunBriteTV Veranda Series SB-4374UHD, the 43-inch model in the series. Besides the screen size difference, the 65-inch $3,499.99 SB-6574UHD is identical in features, and we expect comparable performance.

Design

As an outdoor TV, the SB-4374 is designed to handle harsh weather on your deck or patio, not make any kind of style statement. Even with the SunbriteTV logo in the middle of the bottom bezel, you could easily mistake the TV for a commercial digital signage display rather than something for your home. It's well over three inches deep, with flat, inch-wide black metal bezels only slightly darker and more glossy than the completely metal back plate.

The SB-4374 is rugged to the point of being chunky, but that's the entire point of the TV. It's built to be mounted outside and left exposed to the elements, and its stark black rustproof, powder-coated metal chassis is proof of that. According to SunbriteTV, the Veranda is built to withstand humidity, rain, and insects, and can function at temperatures between -24 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It's designed for use in the shade, so it lacks some of the enhanced screen features and temperature resilience of SunbriteTV's higher-end TVs. The Pro Series SB-4217, for example, is built to work between -40 and 122 degrees and can be clearly seen even in the middle of a backyard on a sunny day. It also costs more than twice as much as the SB-4374 and is 1080p, not 4K.

The back of the TV shows off just how well it's shielded from harsh weather. The thick power cable is securely bolted into the back panel, not leaving any exposed point for moisture or dirt to get in. All of the other connections, meanwhile, are hidden behind a metal door that stays shut with two thumbscrews and allows cables to run out through a slot that sandwiches them between two thick rubber sheets, keeping the compartment clean. Four HDMI and two USB 3.0 ports, along with a connector for an infrared receiver, face left in the compartment, while a component video input, optical and stereo RCA audio outputs, an antenna/cable connector, and an Ethernet port face down.

Mounting and Remote

Out of the box, you can bolt the SB-4374 directly to a wall mount with the screws on the back, or even secure it to a flat surface using your own screws installed into slots on the bottom of the TV. If you want to use it on a table without bolting it down, however, you'll need to spend an extra $75 for the table stand. It's a two-piece stand that securely holds the TV upright, and is made of the same coated black metal as the back panel.

The included remote is rugged, though not metal. It's a plastic wand with membrane buttons that don't let any water in, and a battery compartment on the back secured with three screws. The buttons are all flat and round, with little to differentiate the number pad from the navigation arrows and menu buttons without looking at them. Of course, for this type of TV a waterproof remote you can leave outside when it's raining is more important than buttons you can comfortably find with your thumb.

If you want any streaming media or apps on the SB-4374, you'll need to plug a Chromecast Ultra or similar media streaming device into the back. The TV has no connected features beyond the ability to load media from a USB drive, and the Ethernet port is only for updating firmware and performing maintenance.

Performance

We test TVs using a DVDO AVLab 4K test pattern generator, a Klein K-10A colorimeter, and Portrait Displays' CalMAN 5 software on a Razer Blade Pro notebook. After a basic contrast calibration, the SB-4374 showed a peak brightness of 288.37cd/m2 and a black level of 0.08cd/m2 for a modest 3,605:1 contrast ratio. It's just over half as bright as the SB-4217's 548.44cd/m2 peak brightness, but that model is designed to be seen when set up in direct sunlight while this TV should be used in the shade. Several LED TVs get significantly brighter than the SB-4374, like the Sony XBR-X930D series and its peak brightness of 550.12cd/m2. Of course, they aren't built to work in the rain.

The chart above shows Rec.709 color values as boxes and measured color levels as dots. Out of the box, with the warmest white balance setting, the SB-4374 is surprisingly accurate. Reds are slightly undersaturated and skew a bit toward green, but greens and blues stretch a bit beyond the standard color gamut. It doesn't have the kind of color reach the LeEco Super4 series offers, but it's still a good showing that you can finely calibrate with 10-point color and white balance adjustments.

We viewed the SB-4374 primarily in our indoor test lab and on the roof deck of our office building on an overcast day. Even though it's meant to be used outside, the Veranda isn't meant to be used when sunlight is shining directly on it. In both testing scenarios, the SB-4374 looked fairly bright, with a very wide viewing angle that lets you stare at the screen from nearly the side without getting skewed colors or diminished contrast.

Deadpool on Ultra HD Blu-ray looks clean and well-balanced, but demonstrates the TV's relative weakness in reds. The deep reds of Deadpool's suit aren't quite as vivid as they should be, though the yellow and orange flames in the lab fight pop with strong contrast between the fire and the shadows of the scene.

If you want to watch a garden party at your garden party, the SB-4374 could be your best bet. The Great Gatsby on Ultra HD Blu-ray shows strong color and contrast across the board, with natural flesh tones and bright highlights. Shadow detail is decent, showing contours on clothing in the dark parts of the nighttime party scenes, though not displaying the fine textures of the garments.

The BBC's Planet Earth II Ultra HD Blu-ray looks very good across the board, with the extra reach into blues and greens really enhancing the waters and foliage of the "Islands" and "Jungles" episodes. Fine details like leaves and fur come through clearly, and colors appear vivid without being unnatural.

Input Lag and Power Consumption

Input lag is the amount of time between when a display receives a signal and the picture updates. In our calibrated mode, the SB-4374 shows an input lag of 84.7 milliseconds. Curiously, the Game picture setting, which for most TVs improves input lag at the cost of color accuracy, shows a lag of 88.4ms. You can still play games on the TV without issue, but that amount of lag makes serious competition difficult; for better performance you need to turn to indoor TVs.

Under normal viewing conditions, the SB-4374 consumes 78 watts of power. This is slightly high power consumption for a 43-inch TV, but not as high as the much brighter 42-inch SB-4217, which consumes 108 watts for just a 1080p panel (with a much stronger backlight).

Conclusions

If you want a TV you can mount outside, you don't have many options. SunBriteTV is one of the few companies that makes screens built to handle rain, sleet, and dirt, and the Veranda series is the most affordable line it offers. It isn't suited for sunny viewing (the 4K Signature series costs twice as much and is only designed for outdoor areas with partial sun exposure, while the Pro series is 1080p and even more expensive), but if you have a shaded deck, patio, or porch, the Veranda series in an economical, appealing option, and our Editors' Choice.

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About the Author

Will Greenwald has been covering consumer technology for a decade, and has served on the editorial staffs of CNET.com, Sound & Vision, and Maximum PC. His work and analysis has been seen in GamePro, Tested.com, Geek.com, and several other publications. He currently covers consumer electronics in the PC Labs as the in-house home entertainment expert... See Full Bio

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SunBriteTV Veranda Series SB-6574UHD

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